Chaos at airports as flights delayed, flyers left high and dry

Chaotic scenes prevailed in the country’s airports for the second consecutive day on Monday as fliers had a harrowing time due to delayed flights. Bad weather and dense fog at the Delhi airport reduced visibility, disrupting flight operations. This left hundreds of passengers stranded at the airport for several hours. As per officials, nearly a dozen flights to Delhi were diverted due to unfavourable weather conditions.

Meanwhile, in a video that went viral a passenger was seen hitting the pilot of an Indigo flight while he was making announcement about delay in departure at Delhi airport. According to official sources, the incident took place reportedly on Sunday.
As per the airline sources, the male passenger assaulted Anup Kumar, the pilot of the Delhi-Goa Indigo flight (6E-2175) while the latter was making announcement about the delay in departure at around 1 pm.

The viral video purportedly shows agitated passenger running from the last row and hitting the pilot.

Another video that appeared on social media showed passengers of IndiGo Goa-Delhi, who after 12 hours delayed flight got diverted to Mumbai, having dinner just next to the plane.
IndiGo has lodged a formal complaint against the passenger, and the process of filing a case is underway, the airline sources said.

According to an official statement from IndiGo Airlines, “Due to the low visibility and dense fog conditions across North India, IndiGo flight operations were impacted on January 14, 2024. This had a cascading effect on our operations throughout the day. Our staff kept passengers apprised of all delays and cancellations across airports and made every possible effort to facilitate the passengers. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers.”

At the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, 51 flights faced delays on Sunday. The challenging weather conditions have not only disrupted air travel but have also led to the rescheduling of several train services.

Acknowledging the frustration and inconvenience faced by passengers, airlines have announced rescheduling of flights.

Meanwhile, the Delhi airport has issued an advisory for passengers, requesting that they contact airlines before travelling. “Due to dense fog, flight operations at Delhi Airport may be affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information,” said the airport authority in a post on ‘X’.

On Monday, the national capital woke to a thick fog, with the minimum temperature being 4 degrees Celsius in the RK Puram area.

Visuals showed a thick layer of fog gripping the national capital.
The Indian Meteorological Department issued a ‘cold alert’ on Monday and Tuesday in many parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.